Rotary engine.



J. T. D|CKS 0N. ROTARY ENGINE. APPLICATION FILED JAN.27, 1915.

3 SHEETSSHEET I.

Patented Aug. 7, 1917.

J. T. DICKSON.

ROTARY ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED 11mm. 1916.

1 23 275 I PatentedAug. 7,1917.

3SHEETSSHEET 2.

Patented Aug. 7, 1917.

Lws swso 3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

JAMES T. DICKSON', 011' LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOB, OF ONE-EIGHTH T ROBERT WATCHORN AND SEVEN-ETGHTHS T0 IE. WINSTANLEY, H. P; HITCHCOCK, AND WILLIAM BROWN, ALL OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

no'rAnY ENGINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. "2, 12112..

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES T. DICKSON, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles, State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Rotary Engines, of which the following is aspecification.

' This invention relates particularly to a rotary engine or the like, but more generally to machinery of the class described in which the work cylinders are arranged about a common center. And this invention concerns the distribution and supply of fluid, and the valve control thereof, to'the work cylinders. l have shown my inventionem bodied in a rotary gas engine; and it will be best understood when described in that connection.

The objects and details of structure of a preferred form of my invention are explained in the following specification, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is an end elevation of my improved engine, Fig. 2 is a central radial section thereof, Fig. 3 is a horizontal section taken as indicated by line 3-3 on Fig. 2, Fig. 4 is a vertical radial section taken as indicated by line 44: on Fig. 3, Fig. 5 is a detail section showing the connecting rod bearing on the crank shaft, and Fig. 6 is a section taken as indicated by line 6--6 on Fig. 5.

I shall first explain the general structure of my improved engine and then explain the features that have particularly to do with this invention. Some of the structural features other than those claimed in this application are set forth and claimed in an application co-pending herewith.

I employ a central crank case or frame 10 upon which the compression cylinders 11 are mounted, these cylinders being preferably integral with the frame 10. The outer work cylinders 12- are seated at 13 u on the inner compression cylinders and are all held inwardly upon the compression cylinders by a pair of annular plates Li whose inner peripheries bear inwardly against the sloping shoulders 15 integral with the cylinders 12.

The annular plates are drawn inwardly toward the cylinders and toward each other by suitable bolts 16. The spaces 17 between the cylinders 11 are all open so that air may enter laterally. into these spaces and may then be impelled radially outwardly by centrifugal action. Deflectors 18 are provided so as to direct this outwardly moving current of air next to the work cylinders 12, thus effectually cooling the work cylinders. The details of this portion of the engine structure are explained more fully in my co-pending application S. N. 74,612, filed January 27, 1916, being the subject matter of that application and the claims thereof. So far as the present invention is concerned the cylinders 11 and 12 may be treated in pairs as one cylinder having large and small bores.

In each of the cylinders there is a trunk piston each having a small part 20 fitting the work bore and a larger part 21 fitting the compression bore. Connecting rods 22 operatively connect the various pistons with a bearing ring 23 which surrounds the crank 24. The crank 24: is made integrally with the crank shaft 25; and the crank case or framelO is mounted on ball bearings 26 on the crank shaft so that the crank case and all the parts mounted thereon may freely revolve. Revolution of the crank case and of the cylinders about the crank shaft causes reciprocation of the pistons in the cylinders in the well known manner. In order to hold the bearing ring 23 in a certain definite relative position one of the connecting rods, as shown at 22, is provided with a rigid connection with bearing ring 23 rather than with a pivoted connection, as are the other rods. This rigid connection is preferably made with a pair of pins 30 instead of with a single pin 31 as for the other connecting rods. In order to provide a strong and integral construction and one which is not liable to be broken or loosened during high speed action of the engine, T have provided the structure shown in detail in Figs. 5 and 6. The bushing which bears directly upon the crank pin 24 is divided into a suitable number of sections 35; and the bearing ring-23 fits over the sections along a tapered or'conical bore 35*, as is best shown in Fig. 6. The bearing ring is made in one solid piece. The interior bore of the bearing ring 23 is of such size that it may he slipped over the crank shaft and over the arms of the crank to its proper position; and, when the ring is once in place the segments 35 may then he slipped into position by moving them in the in the segment.

of a bearing for the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 3, moving each of the segments into place until the complete bushing is in proper place. Each segment of the bushing is held in proper position, and the bearing ring 23 is held in proper position on the segments, by means of. a screw or bolt 36 screw threaded into the body of the ring 23 and having a head 37 which fits into a notch or slot 38 By adjusting these bolts, and thereby slipping the ring 23 longitudinally along the segments, the segments may be tightened or loosened around the crank pin 24; and in this manner ad ustment for the wear on the bushing may be readily made. When the bearing ring 23 is moved longitudinally, the connecting rods 22 are also moved with thebearing ring; and an allowance is made for this movement on the trunnions 39 where the connecting rods connect with the piston. The taper of bore 35 is arranged so that only a slight lateral movement of the connecting rods and ring 23 is necessary in order to effect adjustment for a considerable wear.

Each of the cylinders operate upon the two cycle principle. A charge is taken into the large cylinder 11 and then compressed out of that cylinder into a pressure chamber 60. This pressure chamber, as will be hereinafter explained, is preferably annular and endless in form and is a chamber common to all of the pump cylinders and to all of the work cylinders. It is secured by bolts 59 to extensions or bosses 12 on cylinders 12. A cylindrical valve casing 61 is provided for each of the cylinders; and a piston .valve 62 is adapted to move in the cylindrical valve casing, being preferably reciprocated by the action of an eccentric 63 and connecting rod 6 1. The eccentric strap 63 is held in a certain position relative to one of the connecting rods 64. by a double pin connection as is shown at 65. The eccentric 63 is set at the proper angular spacing from the crank 24 so that the valves are moved to act in the manner described hereinafter.

The valve casings are preferably formed integrally with the large compression cylinders 11. Leading to each of the valve casings there is a separate passage leading toa valve inlet port 71. These passages 70 communicate with a central chamber at 72, the chamber and passages forming a manifold for distributing explosive charge to each of the valve inlets. The explosive charge is fed to the central chamber 72 by any suitable means, as through the member 73. This member 73 may also be in the form end of shaft 25. There is a port 75 leading fromthe valve chamber to the .large compression cylinder 11; and a port 76 leading out of the end of the valve chamber; and it is the office of the valve 62 to alternately connect the port 75 with the macaw ports 71 and the port 76. The operations of the parts are such that the piston 21 becomes a pump piston drawing in a charge through ports 71 and 75 from the manifold 70 on the inward movement of the piston 21 and compressing the charge ports 75 and 76 into the chamber 60 upon the outward movement of the piston. The inlet port to the work cylinder is situated at 77; and the chamber 60 has openings 78 which communicate one with each port 77 and also with each port 76. This chamber 60 is annular and continuous and communicates openly and permanently and freely with each of the ports; so that the explosive charge compressed by the compression piston 21 is compressed into the chamber 60 whence it flows out into the various Work cylinders, as the ports 77 are uncovered by the work pistons 20. It will be noted that the working charge is not compressed directly from the compression cylinder into the Work cylinder but is compressed into the general body of compressed charge held in the chamber 60 and thence flows into the Work cylinders one at a time. The piston 20 at the inner part of its stroke uncovers the inlet port 77 and also uncovers the exhaust port 79, allowing the escape of the burnt charge and allowing the inlet of the new fresh charge in the well known manner. It is a feature of this invention that each of the pump cylinders discharges into the continuous and endless pressure chamber 60, which pressure chamber holds the general charge in free communication with the ports 77; So that, the instant a piston 20 uncovers a port 77, then the charge may freely and evenly flow into the cylinder. The capacity of the pump cylinder may be such as to keep up a continuous pressure in the pressure chamber 60, this pressure being high or low as required for the purpose of charging the work cylinders fully with fresh mixture. Under some circumstances a relatively high pressure may be required to fill the work cylinder at high speeds while under other circumstances the pressure in the pressure chamber may actually be no greater or may even be less than atmospheric pressure the outflow of the burned gases tending to draw the fresh charge into the work cylinder.

Having described my invention, I claim: 1. In an engine of the character described, a central crank case, a crank, a plurality of cylinders radiating from the case, each cylinder having a compression bore and a work bore, a trunk piston in each cylinder fitting e two bores thereof and operatively con nected to the crank, a valve casing for each cylinder having ports leading to the work connect the compression bore port with the ea ers work bore port and the inlet port, means to move each of said valves cooperatively with the corresponding piston, and an annular circular integral pressure reservoir concentric with the crank case and cylinders communicating permanently and freely with each of the ports to the work bores.

2. In an engine of the character described, a central crank case, a crank therein, a plurality of cylinders radially mounted on the case, each cylinder having a large compression bore and a small work bore, a trunk piston in each cylinder fitting the two bores thereof and operatively connected to the crank, a cylindrical valve casingfor each cylinder arranged radially alongside the cylinder, said casing having a port at its outer end leading to the small work bore, an inlet port near its inner end leading to the large compression bore, and an inlet port leading into the valve casing at a point intermediate the other two ports, an endless annular pressure chamber circular and integral in formation mounted upon the cylinders and permanently communicating with each of the valve chambers at their outer ends and with each of the work ports, a cylindrical valve in each valve casing adapted by movement to connect the compression port alternately with the work and inlet ports, and means to move said valves cooperatively with the pistons. 3. In an engine of the character described,

a central crank case, a crank therein, a plurality of cylinders radially mounted on the case, each cylinder having a compression. bore and a work bore, a trunk piston in each cylinder fitting the two bores thereof and operatively connected to the crank, a cylindrical valve casing for each cylinder arranged radially alongside the cylinder, said casing having an inlet port at its outer end leading to the work bore at a point near the bottom of the work bore to be uncovered by the piston therein, a compression port near its inner end leading to the compression bore, and an induction port leading into the valve casing at a point intermediate the other two ports, an endless annular compression chamber circular in formation common to all the compression and work bores mounted upon the cylinders and permanently communicating with each of the valve chambers at their outer ends and with each of the work ports, a cylindrical valve in each valve casing adapted by movement to connect the compression port alternately with the work and induction ports, and means to move said valves cooperatively with the piston.

In witness that I claim the foregoing l[ have hereunto subscribed my name this 14th day of January, 1916.

Y J. T. DICKSQN. Witness:

ldnwoon H. Banmnw, 

